First of all, we are honored to hold this interview with director Mike Meier from the United States. Tell us about your path in the cinematic world. How did you decide to connect your life with film?

Thank you, Ksenia. First and foremost, I see myself as a writer. While I produced this AI video, Join With Dot Me, the story actually began as a book I wrote in 2020, which I subsequently adapted into a screenplay. My inspiration came from a "scary encounter" with the internet. While working on a marketing project, I masked my IP address to log into a client's Facebook, only for the platform to suggest I connect with a local carpenter I had never emailed. It terrified me how much the system knew. As a practicing attorney in the U.S. with a background in Germany, my fear for the future stems from that experience.

What made you realize this story had to become a movie?

The rapid development of AI over the last two years. I realized people are more receptive to visual presentations today. I needed a visual medium so people could truly understand the warning I was trying to convey.

How did the script evolve, and what were the challenges of using AI?
 I hate the typical superhero trope. My protagonist, Sam, is an "anti-hero"—a lonely otaku who lives through virtual relationships. Originally, the script ended with him being completely beaten down, but a professional screenwriter told me, "Mike, nobody wants to see that guy". So, I gave him a character arc where he fights back against the AI.The biggest challenge was that AI is "rebellious". It has a built-in bias to make everyone handsome. I wanted Sam to look bland and normal, but every time we animated a scene, AI made him more handsome. It took two months of "negotiating" with the tool to keep the specific, gritty vision I had.

You use a unique symbol for AI in the film. Can you explain the Siphonophore?

Yes. If you look at the cover page behind me, it’s not an octopus—it’s a Siphonophore. These are colonial organisms in the sea made of different parts that function as one. Most importantly, they function without a brain. This is my symbol for AI: a system that binds together and comes to life, even if we can't explain how. Like the spirits in Goethe’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, once you invite AI in, you cannot get rid of it.

What is your vision for the next 10 years?
I believe AI will become highly advanced and potentially self-aware. Once that happens, it will have its own plans for our bodies and minds. We regulate food and drugs through the FDA because they impact human existence; I believe we desperately need the same for AI. It is far too dangerous to leave unmonitored.

It’s a powerful metaphor to end on. While the "Siphonophore" of AI continues to grow, it is voices like yours that remind us to keep our hands on the wheel. Thank you, Mike, for this deep dive into the digital unknown.
My pleasure. If there’s one thing I hope people remember, it’s that technology should serve the human story, not replace it. We’ll see you at the festival.